Brothers

Parker and Ethan (November 2010)

(November 2009)

During this time, many people have asked about Parker.  Parker is the one people are concerned about.  These two brothers were very close.  They did everything together.  It sometimes breaks my heart to see other brothers playing together.  I think Parker handles it quite well and its just me that has a hard time.  But, I know he misses his brother a lot.  For the past 7 years he's always had a buddy, without even trying. They fought like brothers, but they loved like brothers.  They would always get so excited to show each other things, play sports together and play games together.  Parker is so strong and has done wonderfully helping us mourn.  I say it that way because we do all mourn together.

Right after Ethan died, I remember thinking "Wow! Parker and Madilyn don't play together."  This was different for me because my three kids had always played together and I hardly ever worried about inviting friends over (honestly, I was terrible at it).  The realizationt that Ethan was the bridge of this gap was heartbreaking.  He really was the one keeping everyone playing together.  The age gap between Parker and Madilyn is sometimes difficult.  Now, we incorporate friends into our lives more.  Parker likes to have other boys to play with and not just his little sister.

However, Parker and Madilyn have adjusted.  They now play well together.  Things are definitely not the same, nor will they ever be.  We have been blessed to find our niche and know our children will be just fine. 

We miss Ethan terribly and can't wait to see him again.  I wish tragedies like this didn't have to happen to people, but we know there is a plan.  We're not 100% sure why our plan included this, but we're willing to have faith to know God does have a plan for each of us.  Ethan's plan was a bit shorter.

Random brother pictures in no particular order.

(December 2005)